MOSCOW

White-stoned, gold-domed, ancient but forever young: these vivid images instantly evoke Moscow, the capital of Russia. Moscow will keep any visitor busy and enthralled. Tour the Kremlin, grand and imposing Red Square, the site of the Lenin Mausoleum, and the Byzantine splendor of St. Basil's Cathedral with its manycolored onion domes, the Armory Museum with its fabulous collection of Faberge eggs, royal jewels and thrones. No trip to Moscow would be complete without a visit to its celebrated metro (subway) with its marble statuary, intricate mosaics, and crystal chandeliers.

   THE MOSCOW-VOLGA WATERWAY

The construction of the Moscow Canal took nearly five years to complete and was put into operation in 1937 on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the founding of Moscow. The Moscow Canal is of great importance for the national economy. The pure water of the Volga coming through the canal helped to solve Moscow's water-supply problems for decades to come. The later construction of the Volga-Don canal and the Volga-Baltic waterway created a deepwater waterway system that connected the White Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Sea of Azov. The picturesque banks of the Moscow canal and its water-reservoirs, bays and beaches are a favorite place of resort for Muscovites and their guests.

   UGLICH

Founded in 1148, Uglich is one of the most beloved towns in old Russia. The view of the town as it is approached from the Volga River is especially lovely with the Cathedral of the Resurrection and St. John's Church looming on the horizon. At the end of the 16th-century, Maria Nagaya, seventh wife of Ivan the Terrible, lived in voluntary exile in the Kremlin at Uglich. It was in her garden here that the Tsarevich Dmitry met his death and where the Church of St. Dmitrius on the Blood was built to memorialize it. Within the Kremlin is the oldest building in Uglich—the Palace of Tsarevich Dmitry.

   KOSTROMA

Kostroma is undoubtedly one of the loveliest cities of the Golden Ring. The pride of the city is the museum at the former Ipatyevsky Monastery. Founded in the 14th Century by the Zemov family, the ancestors of the Godunovs, the monastery's crypt eventually became the Godunov burial vault. Kostroma is also the only city to have retained its original 18thcentury design. The outdoor museum village, Berengeevka, will also please.

   YAROSLAVL

Stretching for 18 miles on both banks of the Volga, Yaroslavl is an important Volga port with a population of 600,000. Founded in the 11th Centuryby Prince Yaroslavl the Wise, the city retains many monuments to its colorful past. Of particular interest are the 13th-century Spassky Monastery, several cathedrals dating from the 17th century, an elegant rotunda in classical style, and remnants of an ancient trading center. Loveliest of all perhaps is the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Yaroslavl's central square.

   ALONG THE VOLGA-BALTIC WATERWAY

The Volga-Baltic Waterway was completed in the summer of 1964. It replaced the old Mariinskaya system. The new waterway stretching from Lake Onega to the Rybinsk reservoir, was the last link in the integral deepwater system of the European part of Russia. The waterway includes the rivers Vytegra, Kovzha, Beloye Lake and Sheksna River. The Volga-Baltic Waterway connects the Baltic Sea with the Volga River through the rivers, lakes and canals.

   KIZHI ISLAND

Our cruise takes us by the way of the Volga–Baltic Waterway to thetiny island of Kizhi, located at the northern end of Lake Onega. Ofprincipal interest is the open-air Museum of Architecture showingfinished buildings from various regions of the country. TheTransfiguration Church with its 22 domes is especially notable.

   PETROZAVODSK

Petrozavodsk is the capital of the Kareliya Republic, and its largest city. You will enjoy the panorama of the city from the Lake with its many terraces along the shore.

   LAKE ONEGA AND SVIR RIVER

After cruising Lake Onega, Europe's second largest and one of the world's purest, we'll continue along the 139-mile-long Svir River which connects Lake Onega with Lake Ladoga.

   LAKE LADOGA

Sandy and rocky beaches indent the lower end of Europe's largest lake, Lake Ladoga. Its shores are overgrown with graceful willows, tall alder trees and stately pines.

   NEVA RIVER

From the southern end of Lake Ladoga, the great Neva River flows 46 miles west through the heart of St. Petersburg where you will spend three nights aboard ship.

   ST. PETERSBURG

The city on the Neva River, St. Petersburg is the second largest industrial, scientific and cultural center in Russia. It is also one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Created by Peter the Great in the 18th century to rival Venice, St. Petersburg has 101 islands, 66 canals, and many hundreds of bridges. Among its sights are the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Hermitage Museum (formerly the Winter Palace) with its unparalleled art collection, the shops, theatres, and cafes along Nevsky Prospect, Kazan Cathedral, Count Stroganoff's Palace and the Smolny and Mariinsky (Kirov) Theatre.

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Peterhof (Petrodvorets). The summer residence of Peter the Great, famous for its collection of fountains. During this time there is an opportunity to visit the Great Palace that crowns the hill. It was under Elizabeth that Rastrelli accomplished another blend of medieval Russian architecture and Baroque.

   NIZHNI NOVGOROD

Closed to outsiders for many years and the home of political exiles, Nizhni Novgorod has only recently been opened to the outside world. Founded by Prince Yuri Ysevolodovich in 1221, the city was until recently celebrated for its autumn fairs and markets where people from Central Asia, Siberia, and Turkestan came to barter and trade. Of special interest are its many buildings from the 13th and 14th centuries, including the Kremlin, cathedrals, convents, and the palace of the early ruling family.

   CHEBOKSARY

Cheboksary is the capital of the Chuvash Republic. Founded in 1781, the town is well known for a number of its buildings—the Troitskiy Monastery and the Vvedenskiy Cathedral with its 17th century bell tower being the most notable among them. Modern Cheboksary is a large industrial city with a university, agriculture institute and radio and television center.

   KAZAN

The capital of the Tatar Republic, Kazan was founded in the late 13th Century. The city has preserved many of its ancient buildings, including the remarkable Kazan Kremlin, the Cathedral of the Annunciation, and the striking seven-tiered Syumbeka Tower. Kazan University, one of Russia's oldest, numbers among its alumni both Lenin and Tolstoy. In 1552, Czar Ivan the Terrible with the Russian army at his back, conquered Kazan. Today the city is half Russian, half Tatar.

   ULYANOVSK

Ulyanovsk is an old Russian town founded in 1648 as a fortress to defend the Eastern border of Muscovy. Known as Simbirsk until 1924, it was renamed Ulyanovsk in memory of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, more commonly known as Lenin, who spent his childhood and youth on the banks of the Volga. The historian N.M. Karamzin and the writer I.A. Goncharov lived here as well.

   SAMARA

Samara, an old city, is a large industrial and cultural center in the Volga region. Formerly known as Kuibyshev, its citizens played a large role in the Peasant War of 1670 under the leadership of Stepan Rasin. Stalin built his secret bunker here which was only recently discovered and opened to the public.

   SARATOV

Founded as long ago as 1590, Saratov is a cultural, scientific, and educational center in the Volga region. It has eleven institutions of higher learning and was the home of Yuri Gagarin, the world's first cosmonaut. The first airplane which he flew as a member of the Saratov Flying Club is on display at the Museum of Local Lore.

   VOLGOGRAD

The great city of Volgograd spreads itself along the banks of the Volga for more than 70 kilometres. Once a small fortified settlement in the 16th century, Volgograd gradually grew to become the gracious city it is today. Renamed twice in the 20th century—Stalingrad in 1925 and Volgograd only in 1961—it is a beautiful city of wide streets, bright alleys, and shadowy parks. It is also the center of the machine, metallurgical, chemical, oil, timber, and food industries. Its citizens are remembered for their heroism during World War II; they stood their ground to the death on the banks of the Russian River.